cruiseluv

We are planning to go to Spain in March and I am considering booking in Iberia. We will probably stay in Madrid a few days and then fly to Santiago (also in Iberia). Return from Santiago will be the same day of our flight to the US.

For whatever reason, it is cheaper(around $120 per person) to book two tickets, one R/T JFK-MAD, and a separate one R/T MAD-Santiago. Questions:
Does anybody know if Iberia could give us a hard time to check bagagge through from Santiago to JFK? And, more important, if for whatever reason our early morning flight doesn't get there on time ( connection time is around 4 hrs)could Iberia in theory deny us boarding a later flight to JFK because the Santiago-Mad ticket is separate?
In other words, are we protected if we have two tickets rather that the whole itinerary in one?

Thanks for any info!

lincasanova

i would call them and ask.. as for the separate tickets.. could be a problem with checked luggage, or could be a problem anyway. i would only trust what THEY tell you.. I wouldn't feel comfortable with it, but then again I worry alot!

and warning.. there can be fog in march. why not fly into madrid the night before?

or..try an open jaw inot madrid and OUT of santiago to protect yourself 100%, and look on this website to see if you can get a one way for cheap.

www.rumbo.es, or www.lastminute.es

Robert2533

cruiseluv, If you book two separate tickets, even with the same airline, they will not check your luggage through to the final destination since they are separate tickets. They would also not be responsible if the flight from Santiago to MAD was late for any reason. It's a risk you have to assume.

The only way you could do it is to book your flights using their "Multiple routes..." option.

I just checked the price for a mid-March trip: JFK - MAD, then MAD to Santiago two days later, and a return Santiago-MAD-JFK. The coast was $1757.70 for two people, round-trip. Not bad and you are protected from any delays.

danon

I agree with Robert.
Would not take
what some employee says on the phone
as a guideline.

cruiseluv

Thanks everybody,

Yes.. I was afraid of that. It just annoys me that if I do the all in one ticket the fare is $765 ; however, separately it is $517 for the R/T JFK-Mad and then the R/t for MAD- SCQ is $83, for a total of $600( $165 less!).

Maybe the best solution is what Lincasanova suggests. The open jaw with return from Santiago is $635. A one way ticket from MAD to Santiago in Spanair would only be around $30!

Thanks again.

Maribel

Hi cruiseluv,
I would do as lin suggests-the open jaw. That way you'll be protected on the return.

cruiseluv

Hi Maribel, Yes, unfortunately, if I want that protection I'll have to do that.

Given the number of persons involved and the few days we have for this trip is not practical to go back the night prior to Madrid.

Anybody knows if Iberia has joined the 21st century and allows you to pick seats(at least for the New York to MAD portion) when you book your ticket?

Thanks!

nytraveler

Booking as separate tickets means you have to deal with luggage between flights and any delays are yours to resolve - at your own cost.

Not worth the risk of saving a few $ IMHO.

But perhaps you enjoy taking risks.

Robert2533

Most of my flights on Iberia have been domestic coach and seat selection didn't mean anything. The only international flights I've had have been in business class, so that isn't any help.

It might help if you are an Iberia Plus member, very useful if you are going to fly more than once on Iberia.

danon

"Most of my flights on Iberia have been domestic coach and seat selection didn't mean anything."


ditto.
sorry

lincasanova

or return to mad the night before... and keep your cheap int'l fare.

lincasanova

sorry.. hadn't read your post implying this was not logical.

cruiseluv

Well, now another option has popped up... I might be able to get free tickets but they are on Continental , which flies from Terminal 1. The flight leaves at 1:05 PM. The flight I would take from Santiago that morning is scheduled to arrive Terminal 4 at 8:05 AM.
Obviously, I have to weigh the risks involved...

Could anybody comment how often the shuttle buses between Terminal 4 and the other terminals run? How long does the bus take between Terminal 4 and terminal 1?

Thank you for any info,

Maribel

cruiseluv,
We recently took the shuttle from T1 to T4. It runs constantly, never much of a wait at all, and the trip takes no more than 10 min. You have plenty of time!

Robert2533

The new option would only allow you a two-hour window should something delay the flight from Santiago. Continental will require you to check in at least 2 hours ahead of time, if not 2-1/2 for an international flight, unless you're flying first class.

Maribel

Hi cruiseluv,
Robert makes a good point-
I should have added at the end of my comment, ..."so long as there is no major flight delay."

cruiseluv

Maribel and Robert,

You are both right. I don't know if I want to play Russian Roulette! I used to do this all the time, and I never worried and never had any problems. But now that I do worry , something will probably go wrong! Also, those prior times, when I did even tighter connections, were during the summer , when the weather is less of a factor.

If I can't come to Madrid the night before I'll probably do the whole thing in Iberia.

Maribel

Hi cruiseluv,
If the info on www.flightstats.com is accurate, that Iberia flight 565 has a 3.4 rating, with 80% of those daily departures arriving on time and an average delay of 10 min.

Statistics aren't bad...but

this is the way I look at it now after years of practice...

When taking a Northern Spain exclusive vacation (as you plan to do), I've always purchased an open jaw.
And I've flown back to the US directly from a northern Spain airport (S.S., Bilbao, Oviedo, Santander, Pamplona, the Galicia ones- wherever I happen to end up), connecting in Madrid with ample time to my US bound flight. (I check in at the first class line with my Gold status.)
But my two flights for the return home, domestic to Barajas then transatlantic, are always, always purchased together, booked on the same ticket.

Then if my flight to Madrid is delayed and I miss my US bound flight, it's not my worry-it's the airline's. They take care of getting me home. Also I don't want to hassle with handling my luggage at Barajas, especially when having to change terminals from T4 to T1 (if I return on US Air).

I just don't want to lose a vacation day in the north to do just an overnight in Madrid since I visit Madrid at the beginning of my trip.

Even with odds statistically in my favor, I never roll the dice on the return anymore, particularly on an early morning flight in winter that may be subject to fog.

Just a few thoughts...

NEDSIRELAND

Cruiseluv writes: "Well, now another option has popped up... I might be able to get free tickets but they are on Continental , which flies from Terminal 1. The flight leaves at 1:05 PM. The flight I would take from Santiago that morning is scheduled to arrive Terminal 4 at 8:05 AM.
Obviously, I have to weigh the risks involved... "

Been there; done that! Continental flight EWR-MAD arrived 45min. late. I had allowed a 2.5-3 hour window for my SpanAir flight Madrid to Santiago. SpanAir was sceduled to depart from Terminal #2 but the Check-in desk was at Terminal #3.
I am 'mobility challenged;' once I checked in, an Agent escorted me back to Terminal #2 (departure gate) where they were holding the flight for me ...

Returning to Madrid from Santiago was no problem. There were Iberia, Spanair and Air Europa flights to Madrid at around 7AM.

In Madrid, checked baggage bound for the U.S. has to be re-checked.

Robert2533

Spanair currently has only one non-stop flight/day scheduled from Santiago to Madrid, departing at 12:45 pm. Iberia has two non-stops scheduled in the morning, one departs at 7:00 and the other at 9:40.

There are no other airlines listed offering non-stop service between Santiago and Madrid.